AUTOMATIC TOOL EXCHANGING DEVICE USING AGV AS CARRYING DEVICE

Abstract

 An automatic tool changer using an AGV as a carrier, which is capable of removing, installing or replacing a tool (5), includes an AGV (1), a positioning module and a tool changing module. The positioning module and the tool changing module are both arranged on the AGV (1). The automatic tool changer realizes full automatic exchange of all tools in a tool magazine by utilizing a spindle automatic tool changing mechanism, performs accurate positioning by adopting cooperation of navigation positioning, zero-point system positioning and pin-hole positioning, and has high positioning accuracy and high degree of automation, which can improve efficiency and save manpower and material resources. Moreover, the AGV can move in a workshop, which can be called when needed and can be transferred away when not needed, thereby realizing maximum utilization of the apparatus.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of industrial automation, and in particular, to an automatic tool changer using an automatic guided vehicle (AGV) as a carrier, and especially relates to an automatic exchanging and installing device of tools in a tool magazine using an AGV as a carrying tool in the field of automatic replacing and installing of tools in the tool magazine of a computer numerical control (CNC) center.

BACKGROUND

[0002] Product manufacture is increasingly developing toward high precision, increased efficiency and intelligence due to the deepening of industrialization. Numerical control (NC) machine tools with characteristics of high accuracy, high flexibility, and high-speed processing are widely used in manufacturing processes. A machining center has a tool magazine, which is equipped with various types of tools to adapt to the processing of various products and features. When processing parts in the machining center, a spindle will control the selection of different tools in the tool magazine to process corresponding machinations according to a program. Since different parts have different features, the tools used to process these tasks are also different. When changing production, a batch exchange of tools in the tool magazine is requested.

[0003] At present, the change-out of tools in the tool magazine is done manually. Specifically, the tools are removed by hand from the tool magazine and then new tools are manually replaced and installed in the tool magazine. When removing and replacing the tools, since there is limited space for manual operation and there are many tools that need to be replaced, it is further necessary to control a movement of the tool magazine. This is necessary for ease and efficiency of manual tool change-out. Such operations, however, are antithetical to current notions of factory automation and retard the realization of the intelligent unmanned factory.

[0004] At present, the market still lacks a device for automatic exchange of the tools in the tool magazine to assist the installation and exchange of the tools. Therefore, it is of practical significance and necessity to develop an improved automatic tool changer.

SUMMARY

[0005] In view of the defects in the prior art, the present invention aims to provide an automatic tool changer using an AGV as a carrier.

[0006] The automatic tool changer using the AGV as the carrier provided by the preset invention is capable of removing, installing or replacing a tool, and includes an AGV, a positioning module and a tool changing module. The positioning module and the tool changing module both are arranged on the AGV.

[0007] Preferably, the positioning module includes a zero-point positioning mechanism; and the zero-point positioning mechanism is arranged on the tool changing module, which can realize three-dimensional positioning of the AGV and/or the tool changing module.

[0008] Preferably, the tool changing module includes a tool holder, an NC axial motion unit, a tool handle jaw, a positioning pin and a carrier baseboard. The NC axial motion unit is arranged on the AGV The carrier baseboard is connected to the NC axial motion unit, and the tool holder is arranged on the carrier baseboard. The tool handle jaw is fixed on the tool holder and the positioning pin is arranged on the tool holder.

[0009] Preferably, the zero-point positioning mechanism is a visual positioning mechanism and can identify a position and/or angle deviation between a position and/or angle, at which the tool changing module is located and a set standard position and/or standard angle, and transmit the position deviation and/or angle deviation as first information.

[0010] Preferably, the tool handle jaw is made of a flexible material, and can fix and/or release the tool.

[0011] Preferably, the NC axial motion unit has one or more translational degrees of freedom, and/or one or more rotational degrees of freedom.

[0012] The NC axial motion unit can utilize its translational and/or rotational degrees of freedom to drive the tool changing module to perform position and/or angle regulation through the carrier baseboard.

[0013] Preferably, the automatic tool changer using the AGV as the carrier provided by the present invention further includes a navigation module. The navigation module can control the AGV to move along a set route.

[0014] Preferably, the automatic tool changer using the AGV as the carrier provided by the present invention further includes a control module. The control module can receive a first signal and control the NC axial motion unit to regulate the position and/or angle of the tool changing module to the set standard position and/or standard angle according to the first signal under a set condition.

[0015] Preferably, the navigation module is integrated in the control module.

[0016] Preferably, the navigation module realizes a navigation function through at least one selected from the group consisting of laser navigation, magnetic navigation, optical navigation and inertial navigation.

[0017] In comparison with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages:

1. the automatic tool changer using the AGV as the carrier provided by the present invention has merits of simple device, low cost, high reliability and convenient maintenance, which can effectively improve the degree of automation and production efficiency of production equipment and save manpower and material resources;

2. an exchanging process performed by the automatic tool changer using the AGV as the carrier provided by the present invention is totally controlled by a program, which can avoid occurrence of a phenomenon that a tool is installed in the wrong place of the tool magazine during the tool changing process;

3. as for the automatic tool changer using the AGV as the carrier provided by the present invention, the removed tools are arranged on the carrier in an order in which the tools are removed after the tool changing is finished, which is conducive to tool management; and

4. the automatic tool changer using the AGV as the carrier provided by the present invention can realize a demand of implementing tool exchange on multiple machine tools with one tool changing device, thereby saving costs and having high adaptability.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Other features, purposes and advantages of the present invention will become more prominent by reading the detailed description of non-restrictive embodiments that is made with reference to the following figures:

FIG. 1 is a structural schematic diagram of an automatic tool changer using an AGV as a carrier provided by the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the automatic tool changer using the AGV as the carrier provided by the present invention; and

FIG. 3 is a top view of the automatic tool changer using the AGV as the carrier provided by the present invention.

[0019] In the figures:

AGV 1	Control Module 2	NC Axial Motion Unit 3
Zero-Point Positioning Mechanism 4	Tool 5	Tool Handle Jaw 6
Positioning Pin 7	Carrier Baseboard 8	Navigation Module 9

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0020] The present invention will be further explained in detail below in conjunction with specific embodiments. The following embodiments will help those skilled in the art to further understand the present invention, but will not limit the present invention in any form. It should be pointed out that for those skilled in the art, various changes and improvements can be further made without departing from the concept of the present invention. All these changes and improvements belong to the protection scope of the present invention.

[0021] The automatic tool changer using the AGV as the carrier provided by the preset invention is capable of removing, installing or replacing the tool 5, and includes the AGV 1, a positioning module and a tool changing module. The positioning module and the tool changing module both are arranged on the AGV 1.

[0022] Preferably, the positioning module includes the zero-point positioning mechanism 4. The zero-point positioning mechanism 4 is arranged on the tool changing module, which can realize three-dimensional positioning of the AGV 1 and/or the tool changing module. The tool changing module includes a tool holder, the NC axial motion unit 3, the tool handle jaw 6, the positioning pin 7 and the carrier baseboard 8. The NC axial motion unit 3 is arranged on the AGV 1. The carrier baseboard 8 is connected to the NC axial motion unit 3. The tool holder is arranged on the carrier baseboard 8. The tool handle jaw 6 is fixed on the tool holder. The positioning pin 7 is arranged on the tool holder. The zero-point positioning mechanism 4 is a visual positioning mechanism, and can identify a position deviation and/or angle deviation between a position and/or angle at which the tool changing module is located and a set standard position and/or standard angle, and transmit the position deviation and/or angle deviation as first information. The tool handle jaw 6 is made of a flexible material, and can fix and/or release the tool 5.

[0023] Specifically, the NC axial motion unit 3 has one or more translational degrees of freedom, and/or one or more rotational degrees of freedom.

[0024] The NC axial motion unit 3 can utilize its translational and/or rotational degrees of freedom to drive the tool changing module to perform position and/or angle regulation through the carrier baseboard 8. The automatic tool changer using the AGV as the carrier provided by the present invention further includes the navigation module 9; and the navigation module 9 can control the AGV 1 to move along a set route. The automatic tool changer using the AGV as the carrier provided by the present invention further includes the control module 2. The control module can receive a first signal and control the NC axial motion unit 3 to adjust the position and/or angle of the tool changing module to the set standard position and/or standard angle according to the first signal under a set condition. The navigation module 9 is integrated in the control module 2. The navigation module 9 realizes a navigation function through at least one of the group consisting of laser navigation, magnetic navigation, optical navigation and inertial navigation.

[0025] More specifically, the control module 2 can communicate with the zero-point positioning mechanism 4 and the NC axial motion unit 3. The zero-point positioning mechanism 4 can identify the position deviation between the position at which the tool changer is located and the standard position and feedback the deviation to the control module 2 in real time. The control module 2 controls the NC axial motion unit 4 to accurately position the automatic tool changer to the corresponding position. The tool jaw has a certain flexibility, can fix the tool removed from the spindle under a force of the spindle, and can also release the tool under the force of the spindle when the spindle is coming to retrieve the tool. In order to enable the automatic tool changer to transport as many tools as possible at one time, there are certain requirements for the arrangement of the tool handle jaw on the automatic tool changer, and tools having greater diameters should be concentrated at a place where fewer tool handle jaws are arranged.

[0026] Furthermore, the zero-point positioning mechanism 4 is a visual positioning mechanism, and herein, the visual positioning mechanism refers to a mechanism that realizes position correction through image collection, mark identification and standard position mark comparison and includes an image collecting apparatus. In a preferred example of the present invention, the automatic tool changer has a standard position on the machining center, and the standard position is provided with an identification code. In operation, the AGV 1 can carry the automatic tool changer with the tool 5 that needs to be installed to a side of the machining center through navigation and positioning. Subsequently, the NC axial motion unit 3 proceeds to determine a position deviation of a current position relative to the standard position according to the pre-set identification code and send the position deviation back to the control module 2 in real time, and the control module 2 controls a continuous real-time correction of the motion of the NC axial motion unit 3 according to the deviation, and finally, it is positioned to the standard position accurately.

[0027] At this moment, it further requires the cooperation of a tool changing mechanism of the machining center. The tool 5 in the tool magazine of the machining center is placed at a tool magazine side of a tool changing site, the spindle goes to the automatic tool changer, cooperates with a handle of the tool 5 and moves. The movement of the spindle enables the tool 5 to be separated from the tool handle jaw since the tool handle jaw has a certain flexibility and transferred to a spindle side of the tool changing site of the machining center along with the spindle. Tool changing manipulators are utilized to grip and exchange the tools 5 at the spindle side and the tool magazine side of the tool changing site. Concurrently, the tool 5 of the initial exchanging device for tool 5 falls at the tool magazine side of the tool changing site, while the tool 5 in the initial tool magazine falls at the spindle. The tool 5 at the tool magazine side of the tool changing site is transferred by the tool magazine to a designated site in the tool magazine, and the tool 5 at the spindle side is transferred by the spindle to the automatic exchanging device for tool 5 and installed on the initial tool handle jaw. The whole movement continues to circulate, and all the tools 5 in the tool magazine can be updated and exchanged.

[0028] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that orientations or positional relationships indicated by terms "upward", "downward", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "in", "out" and so on are orientations and positional relationships shown based on the drawings, merely in order to facilitate the description of the present application and simplify the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation and be configured or operated in a specific orientation, and thus cannot be understood as limitations of the present application.

[0029] The specific embodiments of the present invention are described above. It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the above specific embodiments, those skilled in the art can make various changes or modifications within the scope of the claims, and this does not affect the substantive contents of the present invention. The embodiments and the features in the embodiments of the present application can be combined with each other in the case where there is no conflict.

Claims

1. An automatic tool changer using an AGV as a carrier, capable of removing, installing or replacing a tool (5), comprising an AGV (1), a positioning module and a tool changing module; wherein the positioning module and the tool changing module are arranged on the AGV (1).

2. The automatic tool changer using the AGV as the carrier of claim 1, wherein the positioning module comprises a zero-point positioning mechanism (4); and the zero-point positioning mechanism (4) is arranged on the tool changing module and can realize three-dimensional positioning of the AGV (1) and/or the tool changing module.

3. The automatic tool changer using the AGV as the carrier of claim 1, wherein the tool changing module comprises a tool holder, an NC axial motion unit (3), a tool handle jaw (6), a positioning pin (7) and a carrier baseboard (8); the NC axial motion unit (3) is arranged on the AGV (1); the carrier baseboard (8) is connected to the NC axial motion unit (3); the tool holder is arranged on the carrier baseboard (8); the tool handle jaw (6) is fixed on the tool holder; and the positioning pin (7) is arranged on the tool holder.

4. The automatic tool changer using the AGV as the carrier of claim 2, wherein the zero-point positioning mechanism (4) is a visual positioning mechanism, can identify a position and/or angle deviation between a position and/or angle at which the tool changing module is located and a set standard position and/or angle, and transmits the position deviation and/or angle deviation as first information.

5. The automatic tool changer using the AGV as the carrier of claim 3, wherein the tool handle jaw (6) is made of a flexible material, and can fix and/or release the tool (5).

6. The automatic tool changer using the AGV as the carrier of claim 3, wherein the NC axial motion unit (3) has
one or more translational degrees of freedom, and/or
one or more rotational degrees of freedom; and
the NC axial motion unit (3) can utilize its translational and/or rotational degrees of freedom to drive the tool changing module to perform position and/or angle regulation through the carrier baseboard (8).

7. The automatic tool changer using the AGV as the carrier of any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a navigation module (9); wherein the navigation module (9) is able to control the AGV (1) to move along a set route.

8. The automatic tool changer using the AGV as the carrier of claim 7, further comprising a control module (2); wherein the control module is able to receive a first signal, and control the NC axial motion unit (3) to regulate the position and/or angle of the tool changing module to the set standard position and/or angle according to the first signal under a set condition;

9. The automatic tool changer using the AGV as the carrier of claim 8, wherein the navigation module (9) is integrated in the control module (2).

10. The automatic tool changer using the AGV as the carrier of claim 7 or 8, wherein the navigation module (9) realizes a navigation function through at least one of the group consisting of laser navigation, magnetic navigation, optical navigation and inertial navigation.

Drawing